Deuceu72

Your trick here is to be able to throw something and keep the bluegill off of it...........Nothing is more annoying than trying to catch a bass and have to deal with those pesky bluegill hitting your bait all the time.

In addition to RW, I would put it back in the pond as well, but if you are going to keep it, make sure your aquarium is big enough so the fish does not outgrow the tank.

Very well said Brad! ;D ;D ;D

if you can see them, they can see you..however..........bass have a very short memory span so they probably "forget" you after a little time...................

Think of it in terms of the african plains..............the lions live right next to the gazelle's..........but they dont attack them every minute........only when their HUNGRY......What size hook would you use for that?

Winter "officially" begins on Dec 22..............but as far as your question, I think it depends on what part of the country you are from. Here in Colorado, winter is a lot different than winter in South Florida.........Ask Avid what winter is like in Florida but here in Colorado,fall fishing is down when the lakes freeze over...............

San Luis valley huh? My wife and I just spent Labor day weekend in South Fork. Yea, we go outta town for our largemouth tournaments but the Smallie actrion here is pretty decent now.......Especially Pueblo res, and Horsetooth res................and Aurora res as well...........when you come back to visitr, let me know and we'll go!

Yea, I hear ya on the gin clear water.........but I havent had a problem with it using flurocarbon line.............6 lb Seaguar to be exact................I'll let you in on my secret..I like to drop shot using the tube as the "weight" and then use a panic minnow as the drop-shot bait...........give them 2 options to feed........use light line(I'm sure you knew that)...........but like I said.........deep water structure is what i would ook for more than the bait itself............... Wait until Road Warrior posts. He seems to be the "expert" on the Smallies!

This is a Road Warrior question but I did not see any mention of TUBES. My experience has been the bronzebacks LOVE tubes. Use a jighead 1/8-1/4 oz and slide into the tube and work around deep structure. For me, the TROPHY smallmouth are about location for the most part. You need to fish deeper structure to catch those pig smallies. I would learn to fish with a jig as well but when I really need a nice smallie, the tube is the 1st thing I will throw. My only exception is in the spring where I like to use suspending jerkbaits for the smallie. Twitch a few times and let it sit. They will NAIL that bait as it is sitting motionless............When RW posts...listen to his advice!!!!

This is just my personal suggestion but you DONT need to get better to fish tournaments. You can do it RIGHT NOW. I took the same approach as you did...I felt like I needed to get better and have more confidence to fish in a tournament.......well, as it turned out, I didnt know half of what I thought i did until i joined a bass club. Since then, I have learned more than I ever thought I would just being around the "experienced" tournament guys. My knowledge and confidence have SOARED since joining the club and fishing tournaments. Join a bass club, learn from the other guys, and everything else you mentioned will fall into place all on its own. The best of luck my friend! ;D

Well, since everyone is giving away their secrets.................swim a 3 in chartruse grub rigged on a 1/8 oz - 1/4 oz jighead through the school...........I have found that this little bait, rigged on light line(4 or 6 lb) and SWIMMING it through the fish produces results!

How do you set the hook? It seems like I would need to run backwards up the bank for 10 yds to take out all the slack...

You'll all think I am crazy but I have fished a WEIGHTLESS 5in Senko on very windy days(25 mph or more).........I had a trick to it...........I would watch the bow in my line and when the bow started to move the opposite direction against the wind......I set the hook.........without ever feeling a thing. I knew the fish were there just by watching the line move against the wind. In general though, I like to use a heavy jig for the most part as the wind "stirs up the craws".

See above answer for me! ;D

Most everything here in Colorado freezes and I am not much of an ice-fisherman so, after about October, i'm pretty much done until March the following year............5 Months without the bait monkey!! WHOO-HOO! ;D ;D ;D

Whenever I am putting new line on a reel, I never take all the line off..........Instead, I take about 1/2 off, then use a blood knot to tie the new line to the old, then spool reel. This saves a ton in line expenses, and you never get to the bottom of the line on your spool anyway.(at least I dont)

Fall is an excellent time of year to use your crankbaits. The bass will be chasing all the shad in your lake. On the front page, there is a very good article about this very thing. ;D

I tend to agree with both of the previous posts..............We have a private farm pond in eastern Colorado that we have fished for years. Sometimes the bass want small, sometimes the bass want big..I always let the fish tell me what they want..........For me personally, I have found that its the LOCATION of the bait and not the size(although it can matter).....throw to all those overhangs, hit as many of the submerged tress and humps as possible from the shore. Experiment with bait size, color, location, retrieve speed, etc till the fish tell you what they want. Good Luck!

Beer, packers, fast cars, brewers, and fishing! Maybe if you cheered for the Broncos, you would have better luck!!! ;D ;D I think that has happened to ALL of us!

you might think about throwing chartruse as a color as well if the water is dark and murky.......Colorado blades on your spinnerbait will also be a big help as they move more water.........you might also try a loud crank such as a rat-l-trap, but as for coloring, I do it all the time. I usually use the "dip-n-glo" markers myself. I havent used a sharpie as I'm not sure what the bass would think of that scent. Good luck in your tournament!!!

Stump bumpin with a shallow crank with a square bill would probably do the trick. The key would be to bump the crank into the cover. When you feel the crank hit the stump, let it sit for a second. This is when you will normally get bit, after the "bump".......otherwise, i would be pitchin & flippin those trees! Good luck TOMORROW. ;D

We always used chicken liver tied to a string.........when the crawfish "bite" you can slowly pull them in and grab them when they get close enough. I always have used a weightless rig with a live crawfish. Just hook em through the little horn on the front, lob them out in the water and let them do what they do!

It depends on the situation, but for me, I always will try the shady side first. When the water is cold and its winter(I live in Colorado), then I will try the sunny side first.(assuming the lake isnt froze!!!) ;D

Last year in a tournament, I broke a fish off using a 6 in lizard..............At the weigh in, another guy in my club caught the fish with the lizard still in his mouth!

Hmmm...........Sounds like a problem. I would suggest casting out your c-rig or a t-rig and counting how long it takes to fall to the bottom. Do this in as many places in the pond and try to get a feel for the deeper areas by how long the bait takes to fall to the bottom.